A-level pupils urged to spurn 'soft' subjects

The annual debate about the quality of exams has kicked off with claims that the current system is encouraging a shortage of teachers, engineers and scientists as pupils opt for "softer" subjects.

As 260,000 A-level students were about to enjoy their final weekend before results are due out next Thursday, business leaders were warning that universities need to encourage students to take "hard" subjects such as maths and foreign languages. There were currently shortfalls in the workforce because so many pupils now chose "soft" subjects, such as psychology and media, they said.

Richard Wilson, from the Institute of Directors, told London's Evening Standard newspaper: "The main concern of the IoD in these key subject areas is that the pool of potential teachers is getting smaller and that is very worrying."

The institute called for the government to lift the £3,000-a-year fee due to come into force next year for those willing to study these vital but less popular subjects in an effort to improve uptake.

Last year the A-level pass rate hit 96%, with one in four grades being awarded an A, prompting concerns that A-levels could soon become impossible to fail. The government and most teaching bodies say the improvement in results is down to better teaching standards, and not easier questions.

David Hart, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said studying so-called "easier" subjects might help students get the grades they need for university, but added: "In the long term I'm not sure it does very much for their career prospects."

In a separate development the Times Educational Supplement reported today that pupils are repeatedly re-sitting their AS levels, the first year of A-levels and a standalone qualification since 2000, to gain the best marks and bump up their prospects for a university place.

The AS level counts towards the final A-level and the TES reported that students were increasingly retaking the same modules to improve their final grades.

Exam results will be available to students from 8am on Thursday. In previous years the national statistics on results have been released to the press a day early but this year the Joint Council for Qualifications, which publishes the aggregate marks, has decided to let the pupils see the results first.

"The JCQ believes that the interests of individual children are better served if they are able to receive their personal results before the aggregate national results data is released," it said in an operational note to journalists.

Today's early reports questioning the current system indicate that the annual debate over standards which tends to coincide with the publication of exam results is unlikely to wane.

On Tuesday pupils in Scotland received their exam results, including those for Highers and Standard Grades, as the pass rate edged up again. The country's best results yet, including a higher proportion of A and B grades in Highers, were welcomed by the education minister, Peter Peacock, as proof of steadily improving performance.